Page 133 - The Creative Training Idea Book Inspired Tips and Techniques for Engaging and Effective Learning

lucas chap 04 11/20/02 12:00 PM Page 122
122 The Creative Training Idea Book
told to create a list of 8–10 open-ended questions and conduct an interview of that
person. They were asked specifically to learn how the interviewee learned his or her com-
munication skills, and to obtain suggestions from the person that would help the par-
ticipant in improving his or her own communication ability.
Once the class started, I formed small groups and asked participants to share what
they had learned and to develop a common list of characteristics and strengths. They
also compiled suggestions for improvement. Both lists were then shared among groups
and discussed in class.
Activities such as this help with self-discovery while actually encouraging participants
to practice skills in advance. For example, after my class discussed their lists, I pointed
out that they too had used interpersonal skills such as feedback, questioning, listening,
and nonverbal communication during their interviews and again during the small group
activity. The experience is more powerful when learners come to such revelations on
their own.

Interactive Announcements
To stimulate interest and registration in programs, I often send out flyer announcements
that typically include a series of questions based on the program topic. I challenge po-
tential registrants to answer the questions based on their current knowledge level. Else-
where on the flyer, either on the reverse or upside down at the bottom, I provide the
correct responses so that they can check the accuracy of their answers. I then suggest that
if they missed questions or want additional knowledge on the subject areas, they should
attend the session. This call to action is based on potential interest stirred in learning
more about the program topic while increasing their own knowledge and abilities. An
alternative approach that I sometimes use is to leave the answers off the flyer. Instead, I
state that the answers to the questions and much more will be addressed in the training
session. In my opening remarks at the session I share the answers to the questions.
A variation of the flyer is to use e-mail announcements with creative attachments like
crossword or word search puzzles with key session terms or concepts used as their basis.

Teasers
A second technique that I use to stimulate interest and curiosity is one that is often used
by marketing professionals to introduce a new product or service. Prior to the actual pro-
motion announcement for a program, I send out a series of teaser announcements
through interoffice mail or e-mail. I use either brightly colored paper or graphics, or
departmental or organizational letterhead. Each of these pieces often only state a known
problem or issue (e.g., “Revenue is down here at ABC Corporation,” “ Diversity is an is-
sue that we deal with everyday,” “Customers want better service”) along with a statement
suggesting that the training can help (e.g., “We have a solution”) (see Figure 4-1). The
day after the final teaser goes out, I send a promotional flyer or e-mail that starts with
all the previously communicated teaser issues in bold letters followed by the session